Ford’s Biggest FAIL? Is The Mk5 Escort That Bad...? (1990 1.4 LX Road Test)
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- Опубліковано 16 лис 2021
- By the late 1980s, it seemed Ford could do no wrong. But by being complacent in their market-leading position, many argue they dropped the ball with the comparatively lackluster Mk5 Escort. Does it deserve the hate it gets, even from Ford fans? Phil decided to find out!
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Still daily driving an early 1.3 lx mk5. 30 years old still going strong 💪💪I find it quite comfortable actual and prefer the non power steering as it gives better feel of the road... I also regularly drive long distances and have issues atall. At 70 the lack of power becomes VERY apparent as acceleration is not really an option anymore when in 5th but I love mine and will continue to use it!
There’s no doubt that Ford was caught napping. The facelift models improved immensely, and the final mk6 was well reviewed. However, Ford had its nose bloodied - and the Focus which replaced the entire Escort range was a revelation - it really moved the sector on in terms of driving dynamics.
Mk5 rs2000 we had one brand new loved it
But the rear lights on the Focus were in the wrong place. A trend started by the Fiat Punto.
@@MrThecarebear I had a Mk1 Focus- I really like the rear light position- I like all of the styling generally, except for the weird green 'wood' trim on the faschia of my Ghia model.
There was an enormous shift in design, quality and refinement in the small car sector at the end of the 90's, perhaps best exemplified by the introduction of the Mk IV Golf, of which top heads at VW have since said was a game changer.
Just look at how many 20 year old MkIV's and Focus are still on UK roads. With the industry as it is these days, I can't see this happening again, soon.
I made the mistake of buying a MK 6 Escort 1.6 petrol 5dr but with the godawful CVT gearbox!! 😡 It did 25mpg which is the same as a 4litre Lexus LS 400 & the CVT transmission was on the way out because it 'pushed on' needing heavy brake pressure even at low speeds & a Ford main dealer told me it could be fixed for £1000 but it would only go wrong again! 🙄
Technically, the car that saved Ford. They made such a balls of this car, even the Mk6 couldn't save it.
They then went straight to the drawing board and made the Focus. The car that revolutionised the segment.
I have a MK5 Escort. Very solid car. Pretty reliable and I think its beautiful.
Nice to see a fairly balanced assessment of a car that's always been very popular to criticise. The early 1.3/1.4 cars weren't great. The injected models were better. They did some minor updates before the "smiley" grill came along, around the same time as the 16v engine appeared, and it improved things considerably. The 1992 update fixed most of the issues and, following the 1995 facelift, it was actually a very competent car. The RS2000 got good reviews throughout its production run, and the 4x4 version was regarded by some to actually handle better than the Cosworth (even though the straight-line performance was blunted).
The Peugeot 306 probably hurt the impact of the positive changes that Ford made to the Escort, as that was better dynamically. The other major contenders in the class - MK3 Astra and MK3 Golf - were hardly outstanding cars, and probably deserve just as much criticism as the Escort in reality.
I've had several of the 1990-00 Escorts over the years and they were generally pretty good. Reliable and inexpensive. With a few choice modifications, they are actually very capable and enjoyable cars.
I had a mk5 Escort for my first car, I loved it. Same spec as that one. Most of my mates were driving Allegro's etc at the time. I guess any car is fine for a first car. Was my first taste of real freedom
Exactly! These were great and the competitors lacked appeal to me.
My first car was a Blue mk5 1.6 GLX it was perfect I felt it drove so well and had some power in it
It also had those god awful keys which were so hard they would wear down the key lock barrel mechanism until it would eventually jam. You could lock any Ford with any key.
I remember being on a campsite and the ignition lock jammed. Ended up using a tent peg in the ignition barrel to realign the lock every time I needed to start the car!
My RS2000 MK5 left me stranded at a petrol station after the brass key snapped in the petrol cap. Cant believe Ford made the keys out of brass.
Yes my grandfather actually managed to get into somone else's escort in a super market after he had lost his own car and mistaken another for his own. He couldn't understand how he had managed to unlock somone else's car. 😅
@@redlineste4283 Exactly the same happened to a mate of mine, he had to leave the car on the pump all day until it was recovered.
@@timmorodgers4271 I had to push it out of the way and call the AA. 🙄
@@cardude5323 The same happened in the early noughties with my Sierra. A guy I was working with locked his keys in his Sierra and borrowed my keys to unlock it🤣
I remember looking at a four year old J plate 1.4lx on a forecourt. Less than 40k on the clock, FSH and it was hanging. The boot was full of water, the gearchange was dire and it rattled like hell. The worst thing was the tinny doors made a horrible noise when you closed them, the fit and finish was abysmal and the plastics inside were awful.
I can remember my ex bought an early Proton and thinking that was a better built car.
Interesting, Ford in the U.S. was roasted for the crap job they did with the 1980-1990 Escort, with the 1991-1997(?) being judged as fairly good, thanks to being Mazda 323 based and even using the Mazda engine in the Escort GT. Then, Ford U.S. dropped the ball again with the last few years of the U.S. Escort.
I bring all this up because we Americans tend to believe that the non-U.S. arms of auto manufacturers do so much better at building good small cars. Yet, obviously, even the overseas arms " got it wrong " occasionally. But in Ford's case, the two arms seemed to alternate in building crap.
They spent a billion quid developing that shit heap? That can’t be right surely.
It does sound steep although Richard Parry Jones did say in an interview that it does cost about the same to develop a good car as it does a bad car.
Utterly forgettable car which was slow, boomy, wallowy, thirsty and uncomfortable. My Cavalier was so much better. And I say that as an Escort and Ford fan. Mk1 Focus has to be one of the best mass-market cars ever made? Still looks good today, and I would be interested to see how a good one compares to a modern car.
Each manufacturers had their halo cars.
I think mid-'90s Cavalier was the car that really made Vauxhall rich. They sold millions of them.
Then came Ford's Mondeo which put Ford back on top. BMW's 3 series. Lexus' IS200 (with clear rear lens) were by far the fastest selling Lexus and they never sold another model as much. That Lexus really was beautiful.
Vauxhall's Insignia is a beautifully designed car. Shame about the noise and the poor ride. But the design guys have really done a good job.
Mazda 6 is another beautiful car. I think as far as big family hatch/saloons go, Insignia and Mazda 6 are the last best looking ones.
The cavalier wasn’t its competitor, it was the Astra. Although that was a better car too
@@a.m.9357 I bought a new (pre-registered) Insignia, after the new model was being sold alongside. Obviously got it for a bargain price, but I never found it to be noisy, or badly riding. I no longer have the car, but it was comfortable, quiet, fast and economical.
@@craig1010cc there wasn’t much between them though was there? Remember that awful Astra with a boot, the Belmont? Hideous thing. And my Cavalier was a hatchback!
Yep. I was given a 15 year old focus by the garage while my car was in for a service. I drove it back home via a country road and didn't shut up about how good it was for about a fortnight. I couldn't believe that it drove so well.
I had a Kawasaki GPZ500S . A workmate fancied a bike again and offered me his Blue 1992 1.6 in exchange.... Great deal ! I took the Escort to Germany and back.... I bought the bike back for a song when he decided it wasn't such a good idea !
I had one of these but it was called an Orion. I had the thr 1.6 GLX in 1993 when buying it just under 3 years old. It was absolutely rubbish.
The steering was heavy, the gearbox was like driving a van but it looked good.
For the first MOT it needed new rear shock absorbers and a full set of tyres.
The car also needed a new starter motor and a new set of brake pads every 10k due to the terrible calipers. To add to that the car also ate front tyres for breakfast.
I got rid of it after 2 years. It was a money pit!
I didn't get another for for another 10 years.
Everybody mentions the Focus and rightly so, but Ford's first new car after the Mk5 was the Sierra replacement. The Mondeo Mk1. That truly showed that Ford had taken notice. The Mondeo handled, the engines were good. The styling was a bit meh, but it was the start of Ford making amends for the Mk5 Escort.
We had a 1992 1.6 Ghia Estate from when i was born until i was 14, when we scrapped it, it wasn't great but not bad either, was fairly reliable, and it went to the scrapyard with 280.000km, fuel economy was not great about 25Mpg with the 1.6 Carb 90hp CVH, andthe gearbox wwith long gear ratios meant you had to rag it quite a bit to get it moving.
Having driven various R8 Rovers and also riden in couple of these escorts I have to say the Rover felt like car a decade ahead of this
This is the same mistake that VW has made with the MK8 Golf.
So it’s a great car then
Although in the case of the Mk. 8, it is probably not 5% better than the car it replaces, but 5-10% worse.
@@losch78 if they’d made the Golf the same as the 7, people would have moaned about that too.
Ford needed to make this car as the bad reviews pushed them to change their ways and make some great cars like the Mondeo, Focus, Puma. I can imagine if this car wasn't so bad, they would have carried on making mundane average cars for years to come.
They were/are absolutely dire. Even the last Escorts were just misery. I hired enough of them when new. Now is probably the time to start saving the odd 1998 S plate Focus - there must be a few left.
Having had mk4 and tried an mk5.. The mk4 is a far better car.
Dad has a H-Reg 1.6 LX 5dr in red. H430ATA i think. Got crashed into (dad not at fault), the other driver bounced off the drivers door onto the rear door, no other damage. Part-ex'd it for a M-reg Mondeo TD after having the Escort from new for about 7 years. Did a lot of miles in it, well over average. It was still a perfect red colour, which the salesman was very surprised at. The only issue I remember with the Escort was the alarm used to always go off ramdonly. I never liked it but i didnt like the Mondeo either. Went to a T-reg Focus TDCi Zetec after that and that was perfect. The improvement from the Mk5 Escort to Mk1 Focus was like 20 years gap not 8.
I bought a new mk5 XR3i K plate In 1993 pre silly fish mouth bonnet face lift. Zetec 16 valve, 1.8 130ps. Still got It been SORN over Covid. Can tell you It gets plenty of good comments when I'm out In It. Not the quickest car, but I still love driving It so there. lol
Had a '92 Orion around 20 years ago.
Perfectly comfortable to use for all my needs, as well as having enough space (although headroom was noticeably limited - even in the front - maybe the sunroof impinged considerably??).
There were a couple of issues that I did have with it however, which I'm surprised you didn't discuss...
The first is, that the steering is difficult to control in a straight line, as it always seems to be veering ever so slightly, always needing to be corrected.
This once resulted in the police stopping me, suspecting me to be drunk behind the wheel, because the vehicle looked to be being driven poorly.
At the time I had the car, I thought it was just me, as my later - and with hindsight _earlier_ - cars, didn't cause me this difficulty.
Another issue I had - one which is particularly important to me, but not generally noticed on a conscious level by other road users, is the physical appearance of the rear lamp cluster of the car.
What I mean by that, is that the "facial expression" depicted by the representative image of the rear lamp cluster, looks as if it's "taking the p*ss".
I'll give an example of what I mean:
A motorist perceives that you have inconvenienced them, even ever so slightly, during a manœuvre on the road.
Inconvenienced motorist *feels* the sense of inconvenience.
Inconvenienced motorist then *_sees_* what appears to be the representation of a face - depicted by the rear lamp cluster - effectively mocking their indignation.
Inconvenienced motorist - inevitably not mentally capable of objectively processing the differentiation between an innocent error by the manœuvring motorist, and the physical image of what they are presented with - in a moment of high stress and adrenaline, resorts to "taking out" their indignation on undeserving erroneous motorist.
This issue only became apparent to me after I changed the vehicle that I was driving, when these incidents - which were happening several times a week with the Orion - simply stopped happening as soon as I changed car.
In other words, it was a psychological factor that was conflicting with the primal state that alot of motorists tend to inhabit when driving a car.
Sadly, this has deterred me from buying another Orion or Escort - simply because of factors I have no control over - the responses of other road users.
I was issued a 1.4lx test car for a few months in early 1990. I can categorically state the damn thing was, and still is, the worst car I'd ever encountered. Key bad points: the seats offered no support in any direction. A mild bend would have you swaying all over the show. That became a pain in the arse after 10 minutes. The engine was probably a direct descendant of something fitted to a model T, only altered to run on unleaded. The unassisted steering was way over-geared. You seemed to be constantly turning the bloody thing and little was happening to the direction the pile of junk was heading.
To top things off the whole car felt like every penny pinching corner had been cut and cut again, just to be sure.
On the plus side, I can say the windows worked ok, you could see through them - so it wasn't all bad.
After three months the car was returned to Ford and I was allowed to select a fresh company chariot. By chance the Rover 200 had just been launched. I picked the 214 Si 16v. Yep fuel injection and 16 valves. The gap between the Escort and the Rover 200 was enormous in every measurable way. I loved that car. 100k driven and no faults.
I may sound like someone who has a downer on Ford, but I've had two Focus models, three Mondeo's, four Capri's and a Cortina. However that Escort was the most despicable automotive abomination to ever wear the blue oval.
I currently own a ‘94 Mk5b with the Zetec EFi 1.6 engine. It is a massive improvement on the J reg 1.6 CVH I had back in the late 90s.
i have the facelift of the mk5 but with the 1.4lx engine and i hate it with my heart... which is why i love it.
i just don't want to daily it anymore because of the low hp for the high fuel consumption. but iother than that it is a great car and i want to save it for the future
The two biggest mistakes with these cars to me were those horrible hard seats and the downgrade from the previous car’s independent rear suspension - it’s incredible that it reverted to the Fiesta’s design which predated the Escort mk3!
The rear suspension is nearer that of a Mk3 Fiesta than a Mk1/2, so 9 years newer than a Mk3 Escort. I agree that it is still a backward step though
@@Jam3sA yes, but the mk3 Fiesta’s rear suspension was heavily based on the mk1/2.
@@dungareesareforfools Nothing like the mk1/2 fiesta! It was twist beam, macpherson struts, and had a integrated anti roll bar.
They certainly smashed it though when they replaced the escort with the focus.
This era Escort and Fiesta were awful,but Ford did improve them.But Ford did build cars for ordinary people back then....Nowadays their cars are very nice but SO expensive!
As awful as the engines and underpinnings are in the MK5 was, I always thought it was quite a pleasing shape. Some thought it bland, but I actually thought it was neat and well proportioned.
The LX 16v with the slightly deeper rear bumpers over the 8v versions (pre oval grille and gopping rear end facelift) was actually quite nice.
Those woefully harsh CVH engines were used in one model too long and spawned the phrase 'a tappy Ford is a happy Ford'.
The XR3i with the 16v and the RS2000 were under powered but nice to look at. The Orion also looked pleasing.
When Ford revised the engines Zeta then quickly changed the name to Zetec sadly they also revised the rear end and bonnet. The facelift rear end was just a hideous blobby mess.
Whilst they evolved into something quite good, they got uglier and uglier. I like the original MK5 design.
I think the mk5 is a very handsome and classy design. The Mazda-based car we got in the US was a competitive car; I wonder how it compares to the Euro mk5.
My mate bought one of these in GLX trim. The best thing about it was the heated windscreen. It was comprehensively bested in all respects by my Citroen BX, even though that was in near base trim. The Focus on the other hand… I remember driving one for the first time and I couldn’t believe a mid range mass production car went round corners like that!
I have a J-reg Radiant red 3-door 1.4. Escort, it has done only 36,000 miles from new and had one previous owner before me. It's kept as a classic and only used in the summer months. It's obviously not the quickest or best handling car, but it attracts plenty of attention when I am out and about in it, and and I could never part with it.
I had a mk5 escort. Same colour. 1.3 poverty spec. Loved that car. Thanks for bringing back fond memories 😊.
Glad you enjoyed, Patrick!
Mine was a Mk6 1.8 Ghia X, with all the toys. In effect, we had the same car but mine performed better and was *much* more luxurious.
@@TheGalacticEmperorOfLabelsAgreed. Ghia x 1.8 would have been a dream car but as a young lad a 1.3 was difficult enough to insure
I've got a '97 mk6 in aubergine with a 2.0 silver top Z engine fitted, RS trimmed and leather Recaro seats. Absolutely love it to bits.
I used to sell New Fords at a main dealership in the UK. The Mk4 was a competent and good car, the Mk5 really wasn’t much better just fatter and softer in many ways. The 1995.5 facelift helped but it was really the sAme car just made a lot better- panel gaps and quality was noticeably better. What made the real difference ( just as I left) was Jackie Stewart’s work with the Mondeo Team. That car was a revelation. The know how then passed on to everything from Fiesta to Transit. They all drove well, steered well and brakes well after that. The Focus was a direct result of that sea-change in Ford Europe thinking. Thank you Jackie!
I used to work in kennings car rental back in the early 90s, I used to break the Escort a few times, but I did get 70mph out of the old 4speed models in 2nd Gear🤪
Good review, I think the 5th gen ford escort was an average car from a company we expected better from.
Well i was working as a mechanic at a Ford dealership in the UK and i remember our first delivery of these cars.All of the techs took the piss out of it and had a right laugh at it. It was a dreadfull dated car from launch. Bottom suspension arms and antirollbar bushes renewed at every service and the valve stem oil seals on cvh engines were pure crap. The updated CVH PTE engine was nothing but bother too. It always smelled of rotten eggs as the emissions on the first catalyst engines were controlled by fisher price type control modules
You should do a video on the Ford Focus at some point. A lot of people say it'll be a future classic, especially the RS.
My first car was a 1.6 ztec 1997 estate with about 150.000 miles on the clock. Absolutely loved it. Enormously spacious, fast, comfy and indestructible.
Also, there was the Auto Motor & Sport crash test of the early Mk5 that also was a fiasco, car caught on fire and dummy ate a faceful of steering column, leading to safety improvements being rushed in, the Mk5b was retested and did great for its era.
I remember back in the day our company car fleet was not what the transport manager bought in, we had a monetary price band depending on pay grade. My manager, instead of a mediocre Sierra 1.8 LX got a Citroen ZX Volcane TDi (a GTi turbo diesel) and our district manager got a basic Granada 2.0 when he could have had a Sierra 2.3 Ghia + all the options. Anyway as a company driver I drove plenty of them, by far the best drive was the Rover 200/400 series.
The Mk5 made my dad end his (and my) decade long relationship with Ford after he test drove one and step over to a Golf Mk3. But today i want one so badly as it feels like a missing part of my youth. But unfortunately, over here in Germany, it is almost impossible to find any Escort or Orion from 90/91. I would love to find an example like yours!
Brand new family cars for £8-10K back then, now car reviewers will refer to something at entry level £40K as "cheap". How did we get to this place?🤔
That was over 30 years ago, 30 years before that you buy a cheap family car new for a 1/10 of that.
I don't know. Pay hasn't kept pace with inflation.
10k in 1990 is about 23k in today's money
@@martinnorth2680 and the current entry level focus is £22k rrp
Two years on and the cheapest Focus is around 28k@@craig1010cc
My dad had a 1.3 Non injection Popular and was as basic as it could be came just with a stereo no cassette player or CD Player, then moved onto a 1993 1.3 with fuel injection before finally moving onto 1995 ,1.6 L Spec with the Zetec engine, not the most stylish of cars when I was growing up but provided great family transport. I do like the mark 5 and 6 escorts but if I had to choose it would be the Mark 6.
I remember reading a test in Germany's very influential Auto Motor und Sport magazine where the freshly launched Escort 5 was hammered by the Golf II - a model that was really long in its tooth already but that had got some upgrades on its way.
Somehow, the car still sold well in the UK but never was as successful in mainland Europe.
I owned all three iterations of this version of the Escort- as well as Mk III and IV Versions. The later ones were definitely superior. Although the 1.6 MK IV was a smashing car.
You called it an underdog. You were half right
I had a late MK4 popular and remember thinking how dated the new model looked in comparison when it appeared. Some older guys at work had them, and after riding in one very early example that my feelings of being underwhelmed were confirmed. It wasn't until the '95 facelift that Ford got back to where it left off in my opinion, and by then it was obvious that a whole new car was in the offing.
in brazil this vehicle had quite a good reputation for being refined, above other cars from the well-known B-segment. My father had one, however, I remember him telling me that the ride was quite uncorfortable compared to his Chevrolet Monza (Vauxhall Cavalier/Opel Ascona)
Ive had a few mk5s and i actually liked them, the only issue i had out of the 5 ive owned is one of them was a K reg 1.4 LX and was reluctant at hot starts sometimes, but other than that i always found them comfy, robust spacious cars for their time and actually liked the interiors and the styling,
Loved my RS2000 MK5. Fast and handled well. Rust not so good.
Sums it up nicely. Good review.
I have the MK5 facelift Escort Sedan (previously named Orion),from 1994 as my only car, and is quite a good car, i have only problems once with the ignition system, but thats all. It has power steering, centralized lock, electric windows and driver airbag, i miss the air conditioner because here in Spain the summer is hot, but i am happy with my car. Its the 1.6 16v 90cv Zetec engine. Thanks for the video
Probably the only things I liked about the car was the memories (a cousin owned a J plate back in 2003 ish which had its serpentine belt slip off in the middle of the motorway and my dad would occasionally hire a mid 90s model) and the Sierra based Escort Cosworth.
Knew a couple of people who had one of these. What I can remember was that neither owner was a nice person.
I have now a Renault 19 Chamade TXE 1.7, and before a Fiat Tipo SX 1.9 TD, and before that a Mk6 Escort Si 1.8. And i tested a couple of Mk5 Escorts, but with 1.8 VW engines, and i have to say that the Mk5 is not terrible or bad in fact i like it, the interior is nice not so much the materials but the layout and style, the boot is awesome and i like the outside styling (wagon versions are the best!) but definitely is the worst in this list.
For me (taking in consideration only cars i drove) is from best to worse: Tipo, 19, Mk6, Mk5.
I had a '98 S-reg 1.8 Ghia X in black. Handling wasn't the best but it was plush and went like the wind.
Did it have a boot spoiler and a 6 disc under the passenger seat ?
The 90's Ford range started to mark a turning point where quality wasn't such a strong point and things were rapidly turning sour. The Mk5 Escort had a dreadful 1 star EURONCAP crash safety rating, and if that wasn't bad enough, the quality was abysmal i.e rust prone chassis and structural members that frequently failed MOT's. These appalling anomalies also applied to the Fiesta of that period and the equally dreadful Orion. When the Focus came out it was a breath of fresh air in all qualities.
I’ve had every mark of Escort apart from a Mark 1 and that Mk5 was definitely the most uninspiring. It was a 1.6 LX and I think it looked ok but it drove rubbish. I hated it that much, a drunk driver hit me on a car park and totalled the nearside front and rear doors and bent the B pillar slightly and I never did bother claiming as the doors still worked. Had a Mk6 and it was a lot better refined.
I had a 1992 Mk 5 Escort. It was one of the best cars that I've ever owned.
Drove a Ford Orion mark2 for years so i have to agree with all you have said. Then i got a Ford focus mark1 and,yes,it was a really marked improvement
I owned a mk5 J reg 1.6 CVH in that colour I bought it 6 months after I passed my driving test and I kept it for a year and a bit before the CVH engine was suffered issue with value stem oil seals and was staring to burn oil and smoke wasn’t a bad car but if it had a zetec it would have been a better car I replaced it with a mk1 Mondeo that was so much easier to live with
whats the current feeling towards the mk6 escort? my brother in law has an absolute minter but cant sell it.
I think you've answered your own question!
Scrapman will still take it.
What spec is it? 3 door? 5 door?
I remember when the mark 5 came out. They just looked dreary. The Ghia spec models looked OK. Much more improved for the 1992 "oval grille" facelift. That should have been what Ford launched in 1990.
The 1994 Escort saloon n/a diesel I briefly owned was surprisingly good for £250. Very comfortable drivers seat and very light and quick steering.
The 'Orion' badge for the saloon models was dropped in 1993.
Maybe it’s not such a bad thing that the US got a totally different Mazda derived Escort which got pretty good reviews at the time.
If you fancy a 5th generation Escort the best model to go for is the XR3i 130ps. Mechnically not a bad car at all. A big improvement from the HCS and CVH engined cars.
My grandad has one of these from 1998 till 2008 same gear on a h plate car was amazing reliable comfy cheap to run and didn’t look that bad would like one my self
Always wanted the rs 2000 mk5 when they came out nice looking car
The suspension was awful, you could feel every bump in the road especially in the back. The steering wheel made a funny noise as you turned it also.
The first 16v zetecs were howlers...I made the mistake of trying to tune a few...
I can remember on the few occasions the American automotive press got their hands on a non-Cosworth version they leveled just how much they couldn't believe the Euro Escort was worse than the Mazda 323-based US-market car.
I had a VERY late Ford Escort that was registered brand new in September 2000 example that went out on an X reg plate... Ford sorted out all the little issues by the time this car was made and it was not a bad car at all.
Buying a "Last of the line" car is always better than getting one of the first ones built. They fix all the little problems on them.
I was once loaned a 1995 M reg 1.8 LX turbodiesel, as my own car was in for repairs. While I was impressed with the economy and performance, the handling was truly appalling. Mind you I was used to a Nissan Primera P10. And as for the seats? I have sat on more comfortable park benches! Absolutely horrible car! So why do I like them?
I used to have the Ford Escort 1.3L mk2&mk3, Dad had Escort 1.4L mk4,1.6LX Facelifted mk5.
I love how the best thing about the mark 5 was that it was so bad we got the excellent focus as a replacement.
My mum had a Mk5 1.4 hatchback (J335 GSW)...Oh my days, talk about a bucket of utter crap. The acceleration was slow and draining, engine was noisy even at low speeds, the exhaust rattled, broke down constantly and was so dreary to look at you'd fall asleep. It literally is Ford's nadir in the UK
The mk6
@@jimsmith8360 meant 6 yeah. Had 1 as my first car.
@@allthekingshorses7178 the 8v 1. 4 was unbelievablly slow. I remember my mate in his 1.0 micra leaving me for dead. 16v in Mark 6 I had was pretty peppy though. Was almost night and day.
@@thistimeimhere I like the mk6 something about them they gave the escort a dignified exit. I’ve even seen a y plate one bwfore
I have a mk4 1988 1.4LX cvh. It does not like the motorways haha. Lovely engine to work on and a great show car.
Surprised there was no mention of the Escort Cosworth. I was told that it was that car that took Ford’s development focus away from the Mk5.
R.E the MK1 Focus....I find them so uncomfortable!. I get really bad lower back ache and leg ache when driving one for over half hour or so. I used to drive a lot of them as I worked in a Ford dealership. One of the techs said he also found it uncomfortable. No problems with the MK2 Focus - shame they were bland though after the MK1!
I’ve never owned an Escort, but I always liked they style of the mk5 Escort, I know the competition was much better at the time.
Keep comparing it to the Golf or the Rover R8... what was it like compared to the Vauxhall Astra?
Here in brazil this car is famous for have a bad Suspension. Volkswagen and Ford join togheter in 1989 until 1996 to share engines and platform ( Yeah, Our escort’s mk4/mk5 have Volkswagen Engine). Volkswagen uses Escort Platform to create two New Cars: The Logus, a Coupe sedan and Pointer, a 4 door Hatch.
( sorry for Bad English :v )
I think the outcome really depended upon which model one bought. The base models were truly awful. Wretched steering and handling, but the higher spec cars with 1.6 zetec engine were really nice to drive.
Lot early mk5 suffered rust round fuel cap I had early mk5 1.6i cabriolet gearbox broke twice
The Escort MK5 is good, with the CHT or AP engine.
My first car was a 1994 Escort 1.6 16v. A quickly rusting and rather forgettable car 😉
I had a J reg. new in 1991. I paid about £7000 new. It was a three door with thetaught
You have hit the nail on the head. It wasn't bad, it was just dull, mediocre and a bit of a half-arsed job.
Not what you wany d to be given the keys to at the airport rental desk.
Many manufacturers were caught on this vortex of medicrity.
The Renault 21 was another.
There were quite a few....
Good video.
Well observed.
I don,t know where the british escorts were built but the european escorts were made in Spain with cheaper materials I think. I was a ford mechanic at the time and I remember being stunned by the rust that came through before they even were 10 years old... that was really terrible. I remember rebuilding almost complete pieces of chassis near the rear of the car. Those cars rusted faster than an old peugeot and that means something... 😄
You think that had heavy steering. In 1986 I had one of the early Sierra diesels with that prehistoric Peugeot lump under the bonnet. After 3 years and 100K miles with no power steering I had an upper body like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Took one of them to 175k foot to the floor absolutely everywhere !
The old 2.3 diesel Peugeot engine. Still better than any diesel Ford made. Mk4 mondeo also has A PSA engine.
@@chrishart8548 no sorry the old Peugeot diesels were good but the new ones are utter rubbish
I wouldn't say it was bad, the one I drove in 2006 was from 1993 and had the 1.6 16v Zetec engine with 375.000km on the clock. But it didn't really revolutionize anything or stood out in any way to new buyers of the time. And it's not like it was sold in a vacuum where there was no competition. I'd say it's a lot like the Vectra: 4 wheels and a f*cking seat. From 2006 to 2008 I had a 1995 Fiësta GT as my first car with that same 1.6 16v Zetec engine and it was much better than the Escort. Though it did have a higher trim level even with bucket seats. The Escort didn't even have power steering.
I had to sell them new, and was “awarded” one as a demonstrator,,,,, they where SHIT
I liked my MK5 Escort (in 1994 the Orion name tag was dropped and it became Escort, not a well name ford fact) had 125,000 miles on but the engine was a peach 90bhp version of the 1.6 zetec 16 valve unit, gearbox was ok'ish for a while, soldiered on with a noisy diff for about a year before making a bid for freedom out of the gearbox casing at 70mph on the motorway. Had a P11 Nissan Primera, much better car, better more powerful engine (110bhp compared to 90bhp is a big gain, both were 1.6 litre 16 valve unit) and yes much better/comfier seats.
Very few new cars are worse than the one it replaced but the Mk5 Escort was one! This was the car that made Ford reassess priorities and, since then, Ford made a conscious decision to try and make the best driving car in each class which it largely achieved with the Ka, Focus, Puma, Mondeo etc.
I daily drive my j reg 91 encore been up and down the uk never let me down also good on fuel
I worked at Ford when the mk5 came out,and it was,at best,average. On PDI they had lots of wind noise issues,boot leaks,and various electrical faults. The HCS engine was dubbed the next xflow,but that's an insult to the Kent Engine,which in itself is a work of art,and simply brilliant. The early 16v silver top zetec powered XR3I's had more balls,and the Orion Ghia was basically an XR3I with a boot,but,the Zetec had recalls for Cambelt whine,and excessive noise. If your an old school Ford fan,then it misses the target by miles,but,if you were born to late,then sadly you don't know any better. The mark five face lift with the shit eater grille in the front of the bonnet was a poor attempt at gaining interest,and the build quality was just as poor. Then came the Mondeo. Enough said,another mess . . . . I left Ford shortly after this,but,don't get me wrong,I'm a huge Ford Fan,but my loyalties stop at 1989.
Ford made the mistake with the last Escort of asking existing customers what they wanted, which was of course limited by what people knew they could have. Focus Mk1 moved the goalposts completely (as Mk3 Escort had). Mk1 Focus (incl the wagon) was terrific.
I don't think the Mk3 moved the sector on in the same way as the Mk1 Focus- by the time the Mk3 came out, the competition had (with a few lacklustre exceptions) moved on to FWD. The Mk3 was never more than merely competent. The Mk1 Focus, however, was in entirely another league compared to the competition. I've owned or extensively driven every Escort type from Mk3 onwards, and a Mk1 Focus. That Focus was the best car I've ever owned- and hugely entertained me.
The metal was rubbish, little rust proofing, cheep feel interior, terrible things
People do exaggerate how bad those cars were. The general consensus at the time was that it was a mediocre car and not as good as it should have been. Not that it was truly terrible.
I have driven one and I've also driven a 1.0 Vauxhall Corsa C. The latter was much worse to drive. Also drove a 1995 Honda Civic (same as the Rover 400, based on Japanese Honda Domani) and in many ways that was worse. It had a bus-like turning circle despite being a relatively small car.